After having found him a few days ago, his first instinct was: to approach him. But to realize that Jongdae didn't seem to recognize him, he preferred to keep distance. He was not going to deny it, it hurt a lot to know that the younger one did not remember him, that he was nothing more than a stranger , but at the same time he could not help feeling relieved to have found him.

When he had shared about his meeting to the others, Sehun and Chanyeol seemed excited and happy, but Kyungsoo had remained stoic because he seemed to have picked up on the details that Minseok decided to leave out. When he questioned his actions, the older did not know what to answer. He had panicked and didn't know what to do, so he planned to get closer the next day. They chose not to approach as a group, as much as Sehun had insisted, as they could have overwhelmed Jongdae but when the moment came again he froze in place, his legs didn't seem to respond. It was as if his subconscious was constantly sabotaging him by avoiding a proper encounter, he had ended up following him from afar and observing and even avoiding any kind of close contact, but ... he knew he had a limit. 

He had been following him for a few days in such a way that it could be said that he was becoming familiar with the other's routine. He knew the other got up early, that at least 2 days a week he used to run through the streets for a good 20 minutes. He wondered if by not remembering his past, some aspects of his personality had changed, that is, the Kim Jongdae he remembered hated exercising and always tried to find new excuses to avoid training days, especially the morning ones, after all he was not a morning lover contrary to Minseok, who used to be among the first to get up and wake up the rest of the members. Even if his excuses in the past had been ignored by his instructors it didn't take away from the fact that the older man missed the daily pouting and complaining in the middle of his routines. However, this new Jongdae seemed to be different, he was returning home to eat breakfast and get ready for work. He would arrive at the library at exactly 9 in the morning and spend the rest of the day at the counter reading some books, from time to time he would get up and go through the shelves of the library while looking for new material to read or to help a client hanging around between the aisles. 

He longed for this moment for days, weeks, but… now that he saw it, he thought about how Jongdae seemed to live a normal, comfortable and peaceful life. He did not seem to have any worry or fear about his surroundings or dangers that could lurk at any moment and he did not want to be the one to break the apparent bubble of peace for the minor. However, he knew that sooner or later he had to. 

His thoughts were interrupted one day in the afternoon after his work shift when Jongdae appeared to take a different route rather than return to his apartment. 

Passing the city center, on one of the roads that seemed to lead to the outskirts there was a small lake, it was somewhat desert for Minseok's taste but he couldn't deny that it certainly had a relaxing aura. Jongdae seemed familiar with the place meaning he used to visit it often. The older one kept his distance by choosing to stay close to the shadows cast by the trees that were at the edge of the green area. As he headed towards the lake, the ground at his feet was more humid, the sun was about to set to the horizon, so a pleasant breeze surrounded them that he was sure would decrease its temperature with the passing of the minutes. 

He watched as the boy walked for a while, stopping a few times to pick up what appeared to be small rocks before throwing some into the lake in front of him. After a few minutes he approached what appeared to be larger rocks next to some logs that had probably been cut recently, and sat on one of them. Due to the distance, Minseok couldn't tell exactly what the younger boy was doing, but he spent a few minutes examining the small rocks in his hands before looking up at the sky. He could see part of his profile and his back, but that was enough to notice the expression that adorned Jongdae's face , his heart felt a little relieved to be able to recognize the emotions on his trail. Having been so ... "close" so to speak, he considered that the child could be like an open book, reflecting his emotions and feelings in his eyes or with some facial expression and for most of the time they spent together he had been able to differentiate even the smallest change, and if he was correct this time he could differentiate ... uncertainty.  

Perhaps she had been wrong, she had not had any direct contact with him since she had found him, so she had no idea if the absence of memories had generated any change in her personality or her current concerns. It was unfair to the others that he didn't let them get close, but he insisted that he be the one to talk to Jongdae , and even if he didn't get too close to him he didn't want to leave him alone either, what if he had to protect him? if some danger loomed, one that the boy had no knowledge of. He had decided, he had to take the first step, tomorrow would be the day he would talk to him. He was tired of his own cowardice, especially in moments like these when he would give anything to know what the minor was thinking, what was keeping him in that state, he had to stop running away and gather his courage ... But for now the only thing he could do was wait, wait for the moment to come and he could be the minor's confidant again. 

He was thinking of going back when he felt the sudden change around him. The weather had been hot, with bright sunshine for a few days, so much so that Sehun had been begging him to keep the room cool at night, and even though Kyungsoo thought it was unnecessary and risky, he didn't seem to complain when Minseok went down a bit. temperature. He knew what was coming before he heard the rumble of thunder around him. 

The days were the same which only added to his frustration, even if that word wasn't enough to express what he felt.

He had been delusional to believe that things would improve from one second to the next, that when he discovered about his abilities his life would change and perhaps he would remember his past and who he really was, but ... nothing. Nothing had changed. Perhaps reading many books lately had turned him into a dreamer, thinking that this would be the moment when his life would change in such a way that he could find his destiny or something similar. But of course, life and the real world are not like in the books. 

He had given up trying to find any kind of answer to his dreams at night, sometimes he believed that he could see small fragments or features of different people, waking up to the sound of a laugh that he believed sounded next to him, but in reality he was alone. Always alone. Still, he couldn't completely ignore that feeling of uncertainty, frequently thinking , What kind of life did I used to have?  

Surely he had not been alone all his life, he had the feeling that the way he had been living his days was something new and different from what he was used to.  

He felt the need to go for a run in the mornings or to exercise from time to time because his body demanded it, like a sensation of energy running through his veins as if there was something special for him out there, and now being aware that it was different ... he couldn't help the expectation.

Surely there was someone else like him out there, right? He couldn't be the only person in the whole world who was different, with exceptional abilities. Yes, he had managed to confirm that what had happened the first time was not a coincidence, as well as the others that followed. He did not want to be guided by chance, so he tried to use his skills when the forecast announced a totally different weather, with temperatures high and no chance of sudden clouds or rain. After all the lightning was the consequence of a sudden breakdown of electrostatic discharge in the atmosphere, he had tried to cover any possible information about this phenomenon in books to see if he could find an explanation or at least a bit of coherence in what was happening.   

He had also tried to use his skills in his apartment, imagining the things he could do. He thought that there was the possibility of being able to manipulate any type of electricity, so he tried his luck with some electrodomestics, began by rubbing his fingers to create a bit of static and had been surprised to visualize small charges if he concentrated, but he knew he couldn't do much more indoors as he ended up burning a curtain and a sofa ... luckily he was able to put out the fire before someone in his building called the fire department.

After that incident, he decided to limit himself to secluded places, where he would not have the possibility of hurting someone in case of carelessness ... perhaps it had not been a good idea to try to experiment with things that were still unknown to him so lightly. 

Lately he spent most of the time thinking about the things he could do, surely he had limitations and everything. Besides the life he left behind, had he changed? What if he was actually alone in the world? If he forgot his family ... Did they forget him too? Was there someone out there who cared about him, was looking for him? 

He failed to realize how those kinds of thoughts began to destabilize his control and the sky began to change, he came to himself when he heard the sound of thunder in the distance. He wasn’t aware of how his mood seemed to influence things about what he could do, and sometimes that scared him, maybe he would never be able to control it. Maybe there had been similar occasions in the past, maybe he had hurt people by not being able to control it. 

A numerous intrusive thoughts wavered in his mind, mixed with the anxiety that was beginning to take over him. A painful pang went through his heart, which was beating rapidly against his chest. He felt short of breath and that no matter how hard he tried, the air could not reach his lungs, perhaps that could explain the dizziness he felt in the moment,.His vision filled with white patches, not being able to see anything around him. He didn't know if he was hallucinating or remembered what seemed to be a white room every time he blinked, for some reason this only scared him more by increasing the pain in his chest now combined with nausea.  

It seemed incredible to him to be able to listen to the thunder around him when he was so disoriented. He tried to focus, but it seemed an impossible task. His hands did not stop shaking, he seemed to hear as if someone were screaming in the distance, he felt arms around him trying to hold him before everything turned to darkness. 

Minseok hadn't felt fear like that in a long time. It was a mixture of anguish and despair as he hurriedly ran towards Jongdae. The sudden change in the weather should have been his announcement, but he didn't expect it to end this way.  

Since the first time he had met Jongdae, the young man was able to control his abilities, in fact he was one of those who had not presented many difficulties to complete the tests that his mentors assigned them, that is why being able to witness the lighting up the sky and the loud thunder constantly echoing was a surprise and not a pleasant one. Especially since everything happened too fast. 

He managed to reach the young man's side in a matter of seconds and could not help but take him in his arms. He had arrived just in time before his legs gave out and he collapsed on the ground, he could hear his heavy breathing and feel his body tremble. What just happened?  

He couldn't stop looking for an answer as the lightning around him wouldn't stop, even after the young man lost consciousness. If his memories did not fail him, Jongdae had been able to master his skills in the past, in such a way that he had developed a technique to protect himself from lightning, but he doubted that this time the other would remember it, especially now that he was unconscious and Minseok would not have much luck if his presence managed to attract such energy levels. Perhaps he was careless and did not notice his surroundings, but he did not hesitate to create a crystalline and solid barrier around them, the humidity in the air was enough to solidify into a kind of bubble

He could imagine the news headlines for tomorrow, talking about the probable atmospheric instability and if they were lucky, they would justify such a phenomenon as an effect of climate change. Fortunately they were in a desolate place and he hoped no one was stupid enough to approach them right now. If Jongdae hadn't managed to get the attention of his enemies before this moment, now he had. 

He focused a few seconds on the boy and could not avoid the pang in his heart because of how fragile he looked, a bit of sweat running down his forehead, his breathing had calmed but his expression still showed signs of pain. He felt the vibrations of thunder every time lightning struck the ice over them. He waited a few minutes before lifting him in his arms and became concerned again when he felt that his weight was like that of a feather. It had seemed to him that Jongdae had lost weight since the last time he had seen him but he did not expect such a difference.

The lightning around him stopped in a few minutes and as the thunder began to spread farther and farther away, it broke down the barrier around them. His first thought was to go to the apartment he shared with the others, but his feet automatically led him to the Jongdae’s. Thanks to the sudden change in weather, people seemed to have been scared and cleared the streets, which allowed him to move with greater agility and comfort. He had the luxury of taking a deep breath after picking the lock and placing the boy on his bed. 

He thought he should search the bathroom cabinets for a towel to wipe off his sweat, to lower the temperature for some comfort, or to ignore the anxiety that increased when he saw his dirty apartment, but he did not do any of those actions. He was so focused on observing the rise and fall of Jongdae's chest every time he breathed, how his face did not relax and how his hands continued to tremble slightly. Minseok wanted to wake him up, talk to him, take him in his arms again and caress his head while whispering that everything would be fine ... but he couldn't do it either, his body didn't obey and it wasn't right. What had previously been such normal and everyday actions now felt very intimate for ... two complete strangers, after all the boy did not know who he was and there was the possibility that the Jongdae that he had previously known no longer existed. That is why with the regret of his heart he stood up and went to the door without looking back for fear of regret.

The thunder no longer rumbled in the sky, but the clouds they brought with them lingered, leaving a thin rain in their place, so he did not fight nor contain the tears that fell from his eyes as he ventured through the streets of the city. He hated the idea of ​​showing weakness to anyone, and maybe bottling up his emotions was not good, but it was something he had grown used to since he was little and no matter how much he had shared with the members themselves they knew that he did not cry often. In fact, he was the one who shed the fewest tears together with Kyungsoo but this time he couldn't help it. 

When he least expected it, he had managed to return, but he was not ready to face the others, he was sure that they would reproach him for what had just happened and he had no idea how to excuse himself, not even he was sure why he acted the way he did. So, how was he able to leave Jongdae alone in such a situation? …. He felt like a coward, but ... he could only hope the boy would forget today’s events. 

***

The next morning  he had to endure the reprimands by Kyungsoo about how they were wasting time, ignore Chanyeol’s anxious glances and petitions about accompany him because he knew that he too was dying to talk to Jongdae and ...Sehun, who would take any chance he got reminded him that he was being selfish for "keeping Jongdae-hyung for himself." He hadn't shared all the details from the day before and he felt guilty. 

He had trouble falling asleep as he hadn't stopped thinking about Jongdae and how it had been enough. He couldn't keep avoiding him, he had to work up his courage and move on. He had enjoyed the days when he went to the library just to be in the same place as the boy, but that was no longer enough for him. 

He considered the library to be beautiful and rich in content and could understand why the other spent most of his time in that place even on his days off. He was currently at one of the tables furthest from the entrance behind some bookshelves with a book in his hands, counting the minutes until Jongdae's shift began, on the previous occasions he was limited to looking through the bookshelves. He thought that by reading for a while might distract him, but he ended up really immersed in reading.  

He used to pay attention to the books that Jongdae seemed to read and when he finished and returned them to his place, Minseok would take them. At the beginning he did it only to camouflage himself within the environment, but now he could not help feeling curious, he was aware that he was doing everything possible to avoid getting closer.  

He was so absorbed in the book that he did not notice the moment when someone seemed to be watching from a distance. That someone had walked through the library and was currently sitting at the same table right in front of him. 

The book he was currently reading told the story of a young woman who constantly struggled to achieve her happiness by facing different obstacles. She was facing difficulties and precisely when she believed had found the love of her life, her bad luck haunted her, taking away the happiness that she had so difficulty managed to achieve. Maybe he was still sensitive, or it was the lack of sleep from the night before, but for some reason the story moved him too much and he began to cry, probably because he felt a little identified. After so long he had found the person who housed his heart, but he could not remember anything. He was startled the moment he felt a hand on his face. 

He looked up quickly to meet the cause of his tears, the same person who made his heart beat more intensely and was currently wiping his face with a handkerchief 

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